Printer with a paper treatment system

Abstract

A printer having a sheet feed system for feeding an image receiving sheet to a print station, and a sheet treatment system for subjecting the paper to an anti-cockle treatment including a humidity sensor arranged to detect the degree of humidity of ambient air, and a control system adapted to control the sheet treatment system in response to the detected degree of humidity.

1. An ink jet printer having a sheet feeding system for feeding an image receiving sheet to a print station, and a treatment system for subjecting the imaging receiving sheet to an anti-cockle treatment, which comprises a humidity sensor arranged to detect the degree of humidity of ambient air, and a control system adapted to control the sheet treatment system in response to the detected degree of humidity and the treatment system is arranged upstream of a feed roller of the sheet feeding system in the direction in which the paper is fed, wherein the sheet feed system defines at least one feed path having at least one section where the paper is exposed to ambient air said at least one section guiding the paper between guide plates positioned upstream of the print station, wherein the guide plates, which define narrow spaces of the paper feed pack, contain perforations so that the sheet is exposed to ambient air also between the guide plates. 
     
     
       2. The printer according to  claim 1 , wherein the control system is adapted to switch off the treatment system when the detected degree of humidity is below a certain threshold level. 
     
     
       3. The printer according to  claim 1 , wherein the treatment system includes a heater for heating the printing sheet before it is fed to the print station. 
     
     
       4. The printer according to  claim 2 , wherein the treatment system includes a heater for heating the printing sheet before it is fed to the print station. 
     
     
       5. The printer according to  claim 1 , wherein the control system is adapted to establish different relations between the detected degree of humidity and the activity of the treatment system depending on the type of printing sheet being fed to the print station. 
     
     
       6. The printer of  claim 5 , wherein a magazine is adapted to store a plurality of stocks of printing sheets, the sheet feeding system being adapted to selectively feed sheets from one of the stocks of the magazine to the print station. 
     
     
       7. The printer of  claim 1 , wherein at least one reel is provided to supply an endless web of printing sheets. 
     
     
       8. The printer of  claim 1 , said printer being a hot melt ink jet printer. 
     
     
       9. The printer of  claim 1 , wherein the guide plates have a pattern of perforations which are small enough to smoothly guide the image receiving sheet between the guide plates and are sufficiently large and numerous to expose the image receiving sheet to ambient air in said narrow spaces between the guide plates. 
     
     
       10. The ink jet printer of  claim 9 , wherein guide plates contain perforations which are uniformly disposed therein.